


Lily Evans Definitely Has a Boyfriend

by fireflysneeze



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Marauders Era (Harry Potter)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:00:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24289330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fireflysneeze/pseuds/fireflysneeze
Summary: Lily really wished she understood what possessed her to say what she said on Monday 25th July, 1977. She wished she could find any way of justifying why she opened her mouth and said a sentence that would change the course of not only her summer, but her entire life. She wracked her brains in the following months, running the conversation over in her mind, trying to find a logical explanation for why her brain led her right to those words that she couldn’t take back. But time after time, it was no use. She just said it. And that’s how it all began.Canon compliant (mostly), cliche and fluffy, fake relationship. Jily above all else.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter
Comments: 17
Kudos: 77





	1. Chapter 1

# Chapter 1

Lily really wished she understood what possessed her to say what she said on Monday 25th July, 1977. She wished she could find any way of justifying why she opened her mouth and said a sentence that would change the course of not only her summer, but her entire life. She wracked her brains in the following months, running the conversation over in her mind, trying to find a logical explanation for why her brain led her right to those words that she couldn’t take back. But time after time, it was no use. She just said it. And that’s how it all began.

***

It was the height of summer and the middle of the holidays, and the Evans ladies were taking full advantage in their back garden. Stretched out on towels underneath the glorious sunshine, they were the picture of tranquility. On either side lay 2 young women: one bony, tall, and bleach blonde, the other slender with fiery red hair. Between them lay their mother, short and plump with her friendly face hidden under her over-sized sun hat.

She took the hat off to fan herself for a moment, puffing air heavily as she attempted to keep cool.

“I swear you girls must be made of ice, I’m absolutely roasting in this heat,” their mother huffed.

“That’s me, Frosty the Snowman,” said the redhead.

“You’ve just got to have the dedication, Mum. Tanning is an art,” agreed the blonde.

“Well, it’s alright for you Petunia, you actually tan without burning like Lily and I,” sighed their mum, tapping Lily’s shoulder with her floppy hat. Lily flipped onto her stomach and grinned back at her.

“Beauty is pain mother dearest, we all have to suffer for our art,” she joked.

“Well, I think I’ve suffered all I can for just now. I’ll go inside and start getting lunch together,” said their mum, staggering up.

“No, wait, don’t leave us!” Petunia said, rather too quickly for Lily’s liking. She narrowed her eyes at her sister, but their mother butted in.

“I’m sorry Petunia, I just can’t handle lying out here all day doing nothing. Besides, it’s nearly 2 o’clock, I’m famished.”

“Ugh fine, I’ll come in too,” Petunia moaned. She sat up and started to roll up her towel. Lily couldn’t help herself from snapping at her.

“What, afraid you’ll become a freak too if you spend any time alone with me?”

Petunia glared and shot back immediately. “As if, thank god one of us is normal.”

“Boring, you mean.”

“I’d rather be boring than a freak.”

“Well, you’ve succeeded admirably then, Tuney.”

“I’ve told you not to call me that!”

“GIRLS!” shouted their mum, who both girls had forgotten was still standing there. “How on earth have you turned me making sandwiches into a fight?”

“She started it,” Petunia instantly answered.

“I don’t care who started it, you’re not children anymore. You’re getting married this December Petunia, act like it,” she scolded.

Lily smirked at this, causing her mum’s anger to shift target. “And you! You’re of age in the wizard world, don’t antagonise your sister over nothing. I love you both but you behave like absolute toddlers as soon as you’re together and I’m heartily sick of it. For goodness sake, can we not have one pleasant afternoon?”

She looked close to tears suddenly, anger dissipated, sunburnt shoulders slumped sadly. Lily and Petunia were both filled with regret. Lily stood to put her arms round her mother, while Petunia fiddled with the edge of her towel awkwardly.

“We’re sorry mum, we didn’t mean to ruin your afternoon,” said Lily.

Their mum held her arms to her side, refusing to hug her daughter back, although her face softened.

“Sandwiches would be amazing if you still want to make them, mum,” Petunia added, venturing an apologetic smile. Their mum sighed deeply and smiled back, throwing an arm quickly around Lily’s shoulders.

“Well I suppose I can’t let you starve, can I. You two sit there, I’ll be back in ten minutes.” She went in through the open back door, and moments later they heard her whistling through the kitchen window.

Lily and Petunia looked at each other for a moment, as though daring the other to start back up again. Ever since they had been little, their bickering had been a constant factor of their relationship. Lily would take a dig at Petunia; Petunia would call her a freak; Lily would insult her right back; and on it went. It was no wonder that their mother was sick of it.

It was only lessened by the fact that Lily was away at school 10 months of the year, and that Petunia had moved to London two years ago to take a typing course. It was there that she had met her fiancé, a large man called Vernon Dursley. It was safe to say he was not Lily’s favourite person. Lily remembered when she and Petunia were very young, before she learned about magic, when she and Petunia had dreamed of one day marrying tall, dark, handsome princes, and living in matching castles next door to one another. She doubted Vernon would even fit through the door of a castle.

Eventually Lily sat down again. Petunia was very clearly pretending Lily wasn’t there, eyes firmly closed behind glamourous sunglasses. This suited Lily just fine, and she buried her nose in the novel she’d brought outside with her until their mum returned with a plate stacked with sandwiches. Lily and their mum wolfed them down ravenously, whereas Petunia held back, only eating two before beginning to take them apart and only eating the filling.

“Eat up Petunia,” encouraged their mum, noticing her hesitance. “They’re not poisoned, I swear. Or are you on about avoiding carbs before the dinner again?”

Lily’s ears pricked up. “What dinner?”

Petunia huffed, looking irritably at their mum, who seemed even more confused than Lily.

“You haven’t invited Lily? Petunia!” she admonished, putting down her half-finished sandwich.

“Mum we spoke about this,” Petunia whined.

“And I remember telling you it would be very insulting not to invite your own sister!” said their mum.

“What dinner?” repeated Lily angrily. The other two stared at each other intensely for a second before Petunia finally caved with a frustrated sigh.

“On Saturday I’m having a dinner with all my bridesmaids and our partners, just a big quadruple date, that’s all,” she said defensively, crossing her arms.

“Mum told me you hadn’t picked your bridesmaids yet!” Lily said, aghast.

“Because I knew you would react like this! Look, everyone in the wedding party has a husband or a fiancé, it just ruins the symmetry of it to have you there!” Petunia replied, her voice suddenly very high pitched.

“So that’s it, in I’m not in the wedding because of your bloody symmetry?” Lily shouted.

“Language!” interjected their mother.

“So I can’t swear but she can kick her own sister out of her wedding party? That’s rich!” Lily was on her feet now.

“I haven’t kicked you out, you were never in it! If you had a boyfriend or something it would be different, but you don’t!” Petunia yelled, also on her feet.

“Well you wouldn’t even know if I did since you can’t say two words to me without one of them being ‘freak’!”

“And you can’t say two words without bringing up your witch nonsense! Everything just has to be about you, doesn’t it?”

“Says the most self-absorbed person on the planet!”

“You’ve never shown the slightest bit of interest in my life before now so why would I give a damn about yours,” Petunia spat. “You haven’t even asked me about the wedding once so why should you be in it.”

Lily’s mouth opened but she had lost her voice. She realised that Petunia was right, she hadn’t asked about the wedding at all. Silence hung heavy in the air, both girls breathing heavily. Their mother looked from one to the other, regretting opening her mouth.

Finally Lily stepped back, snatching up the towel from beneath her. She knew she was in the wrong but her stubborn Gryffindor pride refused to let her leave without having the last word.

“Fine, don’t invite me. Just for your information, I do actually have a boyfriend, another freak like me. And he’s twice the man _Dursley_ will ever be,” she said venomously, before stomping back towards the house. She made it all the way up to her bedroom before the tears gathering in her eyes started to fall on her cheeks.

She threw herself down on her bed, scrubbing the tears away from her eyes angrily, unsure whether she was angrier at Petunia for being so heartless or herself for caring about it so much. It was true, she hadn’t asked about wedding planning, she’d never shown any interest in the dull subject of Vernon Dursley. Petunia had just become the exact type of person Lily didn’t like, snooty and materialistic and always talking behind people’s backs. She avoided all conversation with Petunia where she could, always expecting the snide comments of “do _your type_ even have those” and “I guess you must have picked it up in _that_ school”. Why would she want to spend time discussing flower arrangements with a person who looked down on everything Lily did?

And yet, for some reason, she still desperately wanted to be her bridesmaid. She remembered those childhood daydreams of matching princes and matching castles, that had always come with matching weddings and being bridesmaids for each other. That’s what sisters did, right?

With every argument, every snappy retort, every underhanded comment, somewhere inside Lily still hoped that one day her sister would suddenly turn back to the way they were when they were nine - before Lily started jumping off of swings, before Snape showed up, before Petunia’s jealousy made her despise every little thing Lily did. They had really loved being sisters once, had done everything together. Lily had hoped that enough of that love still remained that Petunia would want her sister to be there for her on the biggest day of her life. But apparently not.

Lily tried to ignore the hurt she felt at her sister’s rejection and went to fix her appearance in her bedroom mirror. Classic redhead complexion, she thought self-pityingly, staring at the red blotches on her pink skin. She scrubbed at her eyes once more, taking deep breaths to steady her breathing.

“…But surely this fixes the problem?” A voice floated in through Lily’s ajar window, causing her to creep over and peek out. Petunia and her mother were still below in the garden arguing.

“If the only issue is the symmetry, then this fixes things! You won’t have to worry about the pictures!” their mum said encouragingly.

Petunia seemed less than convinced. “The only thing worse than having an unbalanced wedding party would be having some bloke we’ve never even met show up and ruin things! If he even exists that is, I guarantee she just said that to piss me off.”

Lily ground her teeth, itching to defend herself. Petunia had always had too good a sense for when Lily was making things up. There was no greater delight to her than ratting Lily out to their mum when she tried to cover up something.

“Now don’t be silly Petunia, Lily wouldn’t make up something this important,” their mum admonished. Lily felt a pang of guilt at her mother’s faith in her. “And you can meet him at the dinner, then you’ll be able to see that he’s a lovely boy, I’m sure.”

“He’s not coming to the dinner, I’m not having some freak-”

“Petunia Caroline Evans, I’m sick and tired of hearing you talk about witches and wizards like that. Lily is not a freak, she’s a girl with an interesting talent who has found a group of people like her, including whoever this boyfriend is. Now this is not up for discussion, you will invite Lily AND her boyfriend to the dinner, and you WILL be civil to them.”

“FINE, alright, they can come to the dinner,” Petunia said bitterly. “But if he acts weirdly or Vernon doesn’t like him then I’m not having her as a bridesmaid, I’m not ruining my day.”

“Of course not love, it’s your big day,” said their mum soothingly. “You want to spend it with the people you love. Now how about we go and look over the menu again, you know you weren’t quite settled on the starter.” Lily’s mum’s voice got softer as she led Petunia into the house.

Lily almost smiled, satisfied that she had won out this time. However very quickly her stomach lurched, realising what she had just gotten herself into.

She hadn’t had a boyfriend since 3rd year, when she had a brief puppy love with a 4th year Hufflepuff called David Cooke. She’d had a crush on him for weeks; he’d asked her to Hogsmeade; they had sat in Madam Puddifoot’s for an hour, making awkward small talk, Lily blushing furiously every time they made eye contact; he’d walked her back to the Gryffindor common room, kissing her cheek gently to say goodbye; then she didn’t hear a word from him for two weeks, eventually discovering she’d been dumped when she saw him kissing a Ravenclaw girl in the entrance hall.

The whole experience had put Lily off boyfriends, but not as much as the incessant asking-out that she faced in 5th year from the infuriating James Potter. She’d never met anyone so arrogant, assuming he could get any girl in the school because he was the Gryffindor Quidditch captain and one of the school troublemakers. He couldn’t seem to understand why any girl would refuse to go out with him, so for the whole year he had made it his mission to break her will with elaborate proposals, embarrassing declarations of adoration, and constant showing off that only served to further her disgust.

The only good thing to come out of the fight between her, Snape and Potter during their OWLs last year was that Potter had ended all that nonsense. In fact, they’d barely spoken to one another over the past year. He’d shown a surprising level of restraint, not hexing younger students, barely fighting with Slytherins, and not even once did he ask her out to her great joy. However, she was still wary of this apparently reformed Potter, suspicious that at any time his head could re-inflate and bring back the same old toe rag that she hated.

Lily shook thoughts of Potter out of her head, getting back to the issue at hand. Who the hell was she going to bring to the dinner? For that endeavour you want someone reliable, someone who can keep a secret, someone you already have a friendship with-

“Merlin’s beard!” Lily leapt up, running over to her desk, and rummaging in a drawer for a quill. Lupin! He would be perfect! Model boyfriend material. Although she and Remus hadn’t been too close over the majority of their school career, largely due to an arrogant floppy-haired someone who she wanted to hex when he came within 3 feet of her, over the last year they had done Prefect rounds together and discovered they had a lot in common. They started spending even more time together when they partnered up for potions, since Peter didn’t qualify for NEWT level and Lily’s old partner was out of the question. She could probably say Remus was now one of her closest friends at Hogwarts, and definitely the only person she could trust with this task. She sat down and started writing.

_Dear Remus,_

_Hope your holidays are going well. Mine were going swimmingly up until about half an hour ago when I made an absolute arse of myself._

_To cut a long story short, I told my sister I had a boyfriend. I’m sure it hasn’t escaped your notice that this was a lie, and a very obvious stupid one at that, but I need a boyfriend to attend a dinner she’s having for all her bridesmaids. Writing it out, I feel even more ridiculous, but please don’t judge me. If you had siblings, you would get it._

_I’m writing to you, O wise, kind, and benevolent Remus, to beg for you to help me in this deceit. Please come to the dinner with me on Saturday and pretend to be my boyfriend, just for the night. I just need to convince her to let me be in the wedding, then we can fake breakup our fake relationship (although I would be fake distraught to see you go as I’m sure you would be a fantastic fake boyfriend)._

_I’ll cover your Prefect rounds whenever you want, I’ll look the other way if you and your friends want to pull a (small and harmless) prank - whatever grovelling you require, I will do. I am on my metaphorical knees here Remus._

_Write back as soon as you can. I languish in despair at my own stupidity until then._

_Your humble grovelling snivelling slave,_

_Lily_

_P.S. Was that enough grovelling? I can do more (grovel grovel grovel)_

Lily went over to the other side of the room where her owl Scarlett was snoozing in her cage, hooting blearily at Lily as she opened the door and took her out.

“Wakey wakey, sleepyhead,” Lily whispered, giving her the letter. “Please get this to Remus as fast as you can and I’ll give you a nice treat when you’re back.”

Scarlett nipped her finger in acknowledgement. Lily approached the window and opened it wide, hoping none of the neighbours were looking up as Scarlett flew off in the bright afternoon sun. She really should have waited till dark, but Statute of Secrecy be damned, she had a fake boyfriend to acquire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! This is my first ever multi-chap and it could be quite a long one so buckle up. If you enjoyed this please leave a kudos and a comment! My tumblr is les-mis-still-makes-me-cry, I would love to have someone to beta-read future chapters so absolutely give me a message :) cheers!  
> (And I promise James will show up in the next chapter)


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Every hour that passed seemed longer than the last. Lily was certain that Remus lived fairly close by, so she was on tenterhooks all afternoon, thinking at any moment Scarlett would flap back through the window. How long could one trip take?

Petunia asked Lily at dinner if she and her “boyfriend” (Lily could hear the quotation marks in her sneering voice) wanted to come to the dinner on Saturday, to which Lily replied that she was sure he would just LOVE to come, she’d just have to write to him and ask.

“Oh, how wonderful,” Petunia replied, sarcasm lacing every syllable. Lily quickly ran upstairs to pretend to write the letter, avoiding any further questioning about her secret relationship.

The sun was just setting when Scarlett returned. Lily raced to the window to catch her, frantically untying the thread attaching the letter to her leg. She started to open it, when she was distracted by Scarlett mercilessly nipping her finger.

“Ow, that hurts you daft- oh, I promised you a treat, didn’t I,” Lily realised. Scarlett hooted in affirmation, ceasing her assault when Lily laid out some of her favourite treats.

Lily quickly opened the letter and started scanning Remus’ neat handwriting.

_Dear Lily,_

_My holiday was pretty standard until I received your letter, which I found highly entertaining. It’s probably not what you want to hear right now but this is possibly the funniest mess I’ve ever heard of you getting into, and that’s including that time you thought Slughorn was flirting with you. I’m still confused at how you supposedly hate your sister, yet want to spend days planning a wedding with her and her friends. You two make me glad I don’t have siblings._

_I would love nothing more than to get involved and help you become a bridesmaid, however unfortunately for your plans, I can’t help you this Saturday. There’s a certain monthly engagement that I can’t cancel, as much as I would like to, and I’m sure you want to ensure your sister and her fiancé remain bite-free for their big day._

_I hope you can find another actor to play the part, maybe Slughorn isn’t doing anything this weekend (one day I’ll maybe stop bringing that up, but it’s unlikely). Please do keep me in the loop and let me know how it all turns out._

_Your friend,_

_Remus_

_P.S. Can I still claim on the grovelling some time? The boys have something planned for the first day back and we could really do with a blind eye being turned. Don’t ask me anything else, I’ve been sworn to secrecy (but it’s mostly harmless, I swear)._

Lily sighed in frustration and flopped back onto her bed. Dammit. She hadn’t checked her lunar chart since the astronomy exam in June so she had no idea the full moon was so close. She felt a pang of guilt that she hadn’t thought to check, knowing how much it hurt Remus being reminded of his condition, and knowing that she was one of the few people in the world he trusted to keep it secret.

She’d heard speculation about it for years from Snape, of course, but he was so obsessed with making those boys seem evil she had just put it down to overactive imagination at first. Over time though, she began to see how his theories might line up with reality, noticing the regularity of Remus’ visits home and his exhausted demeanour surrounding them. The fundamental difference between Lily and Snape, however, was that Lily simply didn’t see how it was any of her business. Remus was an alright bloke with terrible taste in friends, and that was all she needed to know.

Lily hadn’t even meant to let Remus know that she had guessed what he was. They were just finishing rounds together one Wednesday night, heading back to the common room after shepherding a sleepwalking Ravenclaw back to her tower. Remus stretched and yawned, already looking a little pale despite Lily’s calculations that the full moon wasn’t until next week.

“What- day are we- patrolling- next week?” he managed to say through his yawn.

“Tuesday, but I can get Marcella to cover you if you won’t be up to it,” she said without thinking, taking off her jumper now she was safe in the warm common room rather than the draughty corridor. When she got it over her face and saw Remus’ stricken expression, she realised what she had just said.

“I mean, not that you wouldn’t be up to it, can’t think of any reason you wouldn’t be okay next Tuesday-” she started babbling, before Remus cut her off.

“Did Snape tell you? He swore to Dumbledore that he wouldn’t say anything,” Remus’ whisper seemed tiny in the empty common room. His face had gone white despite the red glow of the dying fire.

“No, no, I haven’t spoken to him in months and even when I did he never said anything concrete, I just realised that his theory sort of made sense,” Lily quickly replied. Remus stared at her for a long second, biting his lip. He seemed to be trying to figure something out something very complex.

“But you’re still happy to patrol with me and stuff? I don’t want to make you do anything if you’re not comfortable being around… what I am… and I know it’s a lot to ask to not tell anyone, but Dumbledo-” He was cut off by Lily throwing her arms around him.

“Don’t be an idiot, Remus, I’ve known for months and it hasn’t stopped me being your friend. I would never tell anyone.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Remus’ arms closed around her and held on tightly.

***

Lily smiled at the memory, before the sinking feeling hit again, realising that she was still date-less for Saturday night. Remus would have been so perfect as well, she mused. Shame there would be no way of convincing Tuney to change the date, since Lily suspected that would simply result in her losing any chance of being a bridesmaid.

She reread Remus’ letter, hoping for guidance on what to do next.

_I hope you can find another actor to play the part…_

Who could she possibly get? Obviously, any muggle boys she knew from primary school were out, Petunia already knew them all better than Lily did. All the other Prefects apart from Remus were fairly good friends, but even Lily admitted they were a bit too… reserved for this kind of venture (she stopped herself from using the word dull). She didn’t know any of the Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff boys in her year well enough, and the one Slytherin she knew all too well was absolutely not an option. So that left her with just…

Lily put her head in her hands, finally reaching the conclusion she had been trying to avoid. She knew exactly who would love to pretend to be her boyfriend for an evening, hell, he’d be happy to do it for the rest of the summer. And Merlin knew he would love a chance to pull a prank on someone new, deprived of new targets being stuck with just his family all summer. And, Lily thought begrudgingly, he did have a sort of charm about him that tended to make people like him even when they were determined not to, which Petunia most definitely was. And he wasn’t as appallingly arrogant as he had been a year ago. And he wasn’t the worst-looking bloke in the world, although Lily would never have admitted that unless Veritaserum was involved.

“Fine,” she groaned, reaching for another piece of parchment. Her quill hovered over the page, wondering how to start this thing.

_Potter,_

She immediately vanished the word with her wand. She was asking a huge favour, now was not the time for surnames.

_Dear James,_

She vanished that too. She couldn’t have him getting the wrong idea before they’d even begun.

Why was this so difficult? She wondered. In person she seemed to have no issue talking to Potter, or indeed coming up with ever more creative ways to decline his proposals (although she was out of practise on that one). It must be the subject matter throwing her off, Lily convinced herself. After all, how often does one ask a boy who fancies you – or at least did for a while – to pretend to be your boyfriend?

Come on, Lily, it’s just Potter, she admonished herself. Get a grip. Dipping her quill back into the ink, she began to quickly write.

_James,_

_It’s Lily. I know I’m probably the last person you expect an owl from in the holidays but I’ve got myself into a little bit of a pickle, and I think you’re probably the only person who can help me get through it._

_I told my sister I had a boyfriend so that I could be a bridesmaid in her wedding. It’s a really long story, but that’s the gist of it. The issue is that I currently don’t have a boyfriend to go with to the dinner on Saturday night for the whole bridal party, and without going to that dinner I have no hope of being a bridesmaid, or ever having any sort of friendship with my sister again._

_I am NOT _(Lily underlined this twice) _asking you to be my boyfriend, just to be clear. What I am asking, stupid as it sounds, is if you want to use your flair for drama for a good cause for once, and pretend to be my boyfriend for the evening. If your Saturday night is free and you fancy playing a Muggle at a nice restaurant, send an owl back as soon as you can._

_If you say no I’ll just have to tell my sister you got dragon pox and died tragically this Wednesday out of the blue, and I’ll grieve you accordingly, but know that you’ll watched like a hawk for all of next year (Remus mentioned a certain first-day-back prank that you would very much like kept quiet. I’m not saying I would spoil it, but McGonagall may be pointed in the right direction. Yes this is blackmail, but desperate times, Potter.)_

_Anxiously awaiting your owl,_

_Lily Evans_

That ought to do it, she thought. She folded up the letter, wrote James’ name on the front, and took it over to Scarlett, who twittered indignantly at being sent out again so soon.

“I know, I know Scar, but this really is urgent. I’ll give you as many treats as you can eat as soon as you’re back, I swear,” Lily pleaded. Scarlett stopped trying to flap Lily away, which she took to mean begrudging acceptance, and tied the letter to her. “It’s for James Potter, I’m sure you can find him.”

Scarlett immediately soared out the window, trying to get back as soon as possible for those treats. Lily marvelled for the thousandth time at how incredible it was that owls could find people so easily, despite Lily having no clue where Potter lived at all.

James, she mentally reprimanded herself. If he was going to be her fake boyfriend, she should probably start with civility. She wondered if this was a good idea after all. Would she even be able to convince Petunia that she was in a relationship with a boy she had been repulsed by the presence of just a year ago? Would he even want to do this with her?

Lily needed something to distract herself from her doubts. She decided to go downstairs and make herself a cup of tea before she tried (in vain, she suspected) to get some sleep. Making her way to the top of the stairs, she groaned inwardly seeing light still coming from the kitchen below. Lily prayed it was her mother, not Petunia.

Thankfully it was her mum, finishing up the last of the dishes from dinner. Lily breathed a sigh of relief and switched the kettle on, picking up a tea towel to help dry off the stack of wet dishes.

“Thanks, love,” her mum smiled, hugging her as best she could without getting her soapy hands on her daughter. “I thought something was maybe wrong earlier, you left dinner quite sharpish.”

“Yeah, I was just…” Lily struggled to think of what to say next.

“Too eager to invite that boyfriend to dinner?” Lily’s mum elbowed her, a knowing look in her eye. Lily welcomed her mother’s excuse.

“Yeah, I’m not sure how long the owl will take to reach him, I’ve not sent him anything before now,” she said.

“Ah, I did think it must be a recent thing. I couldn’t believe you hadn’t told me about him yet!” said her mum reproachfully.

“Ah well, with all the end of year madness to write about I guess I just didn’t think. Plus it wasn’t really such an official thing, it just kind of… happened,” Lily babbled, wondering how little she could say to satisfy her mother. Luckily, her mum was a romantic at heart, and anything Lily said was enough to make her mum sigh happily.

“That’s always the best way, isn’t it,” her mum said dreamily as she absentmindedly scrubbed at a saucepan. “Sometimes they just sneak up on you, and before you know it you’re in love.”

“I’m not in love with James!” Lily squeaked, shocked at the very idea. She cringed at her mum’s next words.

“Ah, maybe not yet, but it’s early days yet, dear,” Lily’s mum smiled. “And his name’s James, is it? That’s a nice name.”

“Yeah he’s… a nice boy,” Lily ventured, hoping her mum wouldn’t notice the twinge of sarcasm in her voice.

“Well I can’t wait to meet him. And I’m so glad you and Petunia are going to have the wedding to bond over, it’ll be a nice change from the bickering.” Her mum finished washing up and started putting away the dried dishes. Lily rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, like me and Tuney won’t find something new to fight about there,” she muttered.

“You two don’t know how lucky you are,” her mum said wistfully. “I always wanted a sister to dress up with, and talk about boys with, and-”

“Help each other sneak out of the house with,” Lily finished the speech for her. “Honestly mum, it just sounds like you think Tuney and I haven’t given you enough trouble over the years, I can sneak out and drink if you really want. I’m still underage in the Muggle world, you know.”

Her mum laughed loudly. “Absolutely not, you cheeky girl. I should probably be grateful that you two never put your minds together like that, I’d lose all authority.”

“What authority?” Lily quipped, and her mum swatted her with the tea towel.

“Shut it, you,” she joked. Her face grew serious again as she took the last of the plates from Lily. “Really though Lil, promise me that you’ll do your best to get along with Petunia until the wedding? You only get married once, and you know how much your sister loves Vernon, I don’t want anything to put a damper on her special day.”

Immediately Lily thought of several choice remarks about Vernon and Petunia, but seeing the look on her mother’s face she realised now really wasn’t the time to play comedian.

“Of course I’ll try mum, I don’t want to ruin Petunia’s wedding. I’ll be the best bridesmaid ever,” she said with as much sincerity as she could muster. Her mum gave her a tight squeeze.

“Thank you so much love, you were always the mature one. Don’t tell her I said that,” she whispered into Lily’s hair. Lily stepped back and mimed zipping her lips, smiling back at her mother.

“Now off to bed you, you may be an adult in your world but under this roof you’re still my daughter,” her mum ordered, swatting her once more with the tea towel.

Lily dodged out of the way quickly, grinning as she poured out her cup of tea. “Yes, ma’am,” she said. She headed back upstairs, her mum following closely behind after turning out the kitchen light.

Still smiling, Lily sat down her bed and took a sip of tea, feeling it warm her up. She regretted that she couldn’t have chats with her mum like that more often, given that she was away so much of the year. Letter writing was okay, but writing always felt so impersonal, so detached from real life. It could never compare to being home with her. She was thrilled to be a witch, but leaving behind her mum every year was as hard as it was at eleven.

But that wasn’t for another month, she reminded herself, clearing the sad thoughts from her brain with another sip of tea. She glanced over to Scarlett’s empty cage, wondering how long it would take for her to return. It was a strange reality of Hogwarts life, she mused, that you could live with people the majority of the year and yet have very little idea of where they actually came from.

Despite her earlier doubts, the tea did in fact tire her out, and within half an hour she was sound asleep.

***

As soon as she woke the next morning her eyes went straight to the window, but Scarlett wasn’t there tapping to get in. She sighed, resigning herself to another day of anxious anticipation. She started to get dressed for the day, trying to prepare what she was going to reply to Potter when Scarlett returned. Would he say yes, she wondered? It had been a year since the last time he asked her out, and Lily knew several girls had tried to go to Hogsmeade with him throughout 6th year. Not that she paid attention to gossip, of course. She wasn’t interested in who Potter was dating, unless it meant that she was without a partner on Saturday night.

She was just heading downstairs for some breakfast when she heard a hoot from the front door. Lily frowned. Why wouldn’t Scarlett just go to her window like always? She tried to continue on to the kitchen but there was another hoot, louder this time.

This was weird behaviour for any owl, and Lily’s was always the model of good behaviour. Maybe she was hurt? Lily rushed to the door, not wanting Scarlett to suffer. She unlocked the front door, and opened it.

Looking down for an injured owl, she saw nothing but a pair of feet in brand new trainers. Her eyes travelled up, and there he was, his hand already buried in his messy black hair. Lily’s jaw dropped.

“Potter?” she croaked.

James smiled in a way he clearly thought was charming.

“Now, is that any way to greet your fake boyfriend?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy! Feedback always wonderful <3 I'm les-mis-still-makes-me-cry on Tumblr if you want to Beta read new chapters or give me feedback there :)


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Lily’s mouth hung open. She struggled to say anything but it felt like someone had put a silencing charm on her and she couldn’t make a sound. She just couldn’t stop looking at the visitor who had appeared on her doorstep and was currently grinning at her state of shock.

“Cat got your tongue? Or have I just taken your breath away?” he pretended to muse, reaching up again to mess with his hair. His words shook Lily out of her state of shock, quickly turning it into anger.

“What do you think you’re playing at, Potter,” she hissed, prodding him backwards so she could close the front door behind her. She didn’t want Petunia catching wind of this conversation, although Lily doubted she’d even be awake for a while. Petunia insisted on getting her beauty sleep.

“You requested one fake boyfriend, and here I am.” He seemed unabashed by her tone. Probably the months of practise in school ignoring Lily’s disgust for him.

“On Saturday! Four days away from now!” she said slowly, as if talking to a toddler.

“Well I figured we could use a planning meeting, you know, to work out our backstory!” he protested.

“We could have planned via owl! Without you actually coming to my house!”

“Come on Lily, you know this is a better plan. And if your sister meets me more than once, she’ll be way more likely to believe it.”

He made a good point. Lily frowned, considering her options.

One, she tells Potter to get lost right now and the plan is cancelled. That wouldn’t help Lily at all, no matter how satisfying it would feel.

Two, she tells him to get lost and come back on Saturday. Also not helpful. He would probably back out just to piss her off, and even if he didn’t, he was right. Just sending a few letters wasn’t enough to build up the pretence of a relationship.

Three, she goes along with him until they had worked out the backstory, and introduced him to Petunia, THEN she tells him to get lost until Saturday. Loath as she was to put up with his nonsense before she had even had a cup of tea, she knew this was the best she would get.

“Fine, let’s talk,” she closed the front door fully and began to walk down the pavement.

“Uh, Lily, you don’t have shoes on,” he said, hesitating by the house as she continued to stomp away.

“Shoes aren’t the priority right now. Let’s go, we can’t risk my sister overhearing,” she commanded. James shrugged off his confusion and ran up to catch her.

“Your wish is my command, darling,” he smiled, slinging an arm over her shoulder only to be immediately shrugged off.

“Absolutely none of that or this whole thing is cancelled,” she snapped, giving him a dirty look.

“Oh come on Lily, you can’t expect your sister to believe we’re going out if you won’t even give me a hug,” he laughed.

“Well she’s not here right now, is she? Honestly Potter, you would think-”

“And it’s not very affectionate to just call me by my surname you know!” James cut her off. “I was thinking more on the lines of babe, darling, sexy-” Lily came to a sudden stop and crossed her arms before he could finish his list.

“Look, you’re clearly just here to take the piss so why don’t you just go back home right now and leave me to have my summer in peace,” she said sharply.

James stopped too. “Aw come on Lily, you know how ridiculous this whole situation is, I’m just trying to have a bit of fun.”

“Well it’s not fun for me!” Lily almost yelled. “It’s my sister, and my family, and you’re just here to try to- oh just forget it, this was a stupid idea anyway.” Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes and she turned to head back inside. She hadn’t taken two steps before a warm hand grabbed her shoulder, and she felt his presence close behind her.

“Lily, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make fun of you, honestly,” he said, his voice low and soft. “I genuinely just want to help you, that’s why I’m here. I promise I’m not trying it on with you. God knows you would hex my balls off before I got anywhere near.”

Lily coughed to cover up her laughter, eyes firmly fixed on the pavement.

“Do you still want to go take a walk and talk things over? If I promise to not be a git?” James asked hopefully.

She looked up at him. His hazel eyes looked very sincere, and his hand dropped from her arm respectfully as soon as she turned back. She didn’t think she had ever heard him apologise before, not for any of his outlandish pranks, not for any of his hexes on Snape, and especially not for any of the times he had asked her out. Apologising was a new side of James Potter to Lily, just as forgiving him would be a new thing for her.

Truthfully, she didn’t even really know why she had got so angry. A couple of cheeky jokes on his part, her early morning bad mood, plus the general habit of getting pissed off at the sight of him just led to a volatile mix. But, Lily thought, no time like the present to try to change.

“Okay,” she whispered. She looked down, unable to hold his eye contact any longer. “I’m sorry too, I guess I’m just really stressed about the whole thing. Can’t say I’ve ever faked a relationship before.”

“Perfectly understandable, although I’d recommend not yelling at me during the dinner if you’re aiming for believability,” he nudged her gently. They started to walk back down the street again, James looking around with interest at the Muggle suburbia surrounding them.

“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever been in a Muggle village before,” he noted, staring intently at mundane things like TV aerials and doorbells. Lily begrudgingly smiled again at his enthusiasm, before a realisation hit her.

“Hang on, how did you even get here? I never said where I live!” she asked curiously.

James looked a bit sheepish. “Ah, well, you see, I was a bit excited when I got your letter, I thought it was best to start preparations as soon as possible, and I didn’t want to wait for your owl to go all the way back to you, and-”

“Remus told you, didn’t he,” she deduced, rolling her eyes. “That snake.”

“It wasn’t his fault Lily, I didn’t give him much choice. I said I was apparating whether he told me where to go or not, and if I splinched myself horribly I was holding him entirely responsible,” James confessed.

“You’re a horrible friend to that boy,” Lily tutted.

James clapped a hand to his chest, gasping. “How dare you! I’ll have you know I was the picture of innocence before that demon Lupin came along and dragged me down the path to iniquity.”

Lily snorted. “And Dumbledore’s beard’s a wig.”

“I always said there was something not quite right about it, no beard should be that shiny and luscious.”

Lily started to laugh properly. Despite James’ irritating tendencies, he wasn’t half bad company. They were both still giggling as they reached a park at the end of Lily’s street. It had clearly seen better days, with no kids taking advantage of the nice weather to play outside. There was a roundabout covered in graffiti, a couple of sad swings with uneven chains, and a seesaw that looked as if one good push would knock it over completely. The pair decided that the swings looked the least hazardous, and sat down.

“Shall we get down to business?” James suggested, pushing himself gently back and forth.

“Yes, right,” Lily said. “Well, basically I… I mean I was thinking…” Lily’s mind had gone totally blank. How were they going to pull this off? Where did they even start?

“You’ve put a lot of thought into this, haven’t you,” James grinned.

“Shut up, Potter,” Lily rolled her eyes.

“Alright, rule one, call me James,” he said, still grinning. “We can save the pet names till we know each other better.”

“Or maybe we just won’t be that kind of couple,” Lily said quickly. “Rule two no… funny business from you.” She hoped James would pick up what she meant.

“Define funny business.” James’ eyes twinkled at her. He definitely knew what she meant.

“Potter,” she threatened.

“Alright, alright, no ‘funny business’,” he said, raising his eyebrows suggestively. “Although you do realise there will have to be some sort of physical contact at some point.”

“I know that, just not… you know…” Lily blushed.

“No ravishing you in front of the family?” said James.

“If that’s how you want to put it,”

“I could be more specific if you like.”

“I think we can move on, Pot-” she stopped dead as he coughed loudly. “What are you- oh, _James_ , then.”

“There you go!” he encouraged. “Step one achieved.”

“I thought it was rule one?”

“What’s twenty-nine knuts to a sickle, Lily, you’re nit-picking.”

“Fine, new topic. What’s our backstory?”

“How much have you told your sister already?” Potter asked.

“Nothing, she doesn’t even know your name yet.”

James pretended to look offended. “You mean you haven’t been boasting about me all evening? I expected to pretend to be the youngest ever Minister for Magic or something.”

Lily rolled her eyes. “In your dreams. I did tell my mum that we got together during our sixth-year exams, but that’s about all I’ve said so far.”

“And I’m assuming you’re ruling out any scenarios where I save you from a burning classroom, sweep you off your feet and fly us away on my broomstick?”

“You would be correct.”

“My talents are wasted here.”

“How about something a little more realistic, like we studied together a couple of times and just… started going out?” Lily trailed off feebly. James didn’t look impressed.

“Sounds super romantic.”

“At least mine sounds plausible!”

“Lily the only thing more boring than your idea of romance is History of Magic.”

“Well, then, what do you suggest?”

James looked thoughtful for a moment, stopping his swinging entirely. “How about I asked you to Hogsmeade for the last trip of the year. You said yes because I hadn’t pissed you off in a good few months, and you were bored anyway so why not take a chance, right? We ended up talking in the Three Broomsticks the whole afternoon, finding out we really had a lot in common when we weren’t hexing each other. After that, we wound up spending more and more time together. We would go and fly around the Quidditch pitch between exams, to keep our minds off things. You stole my broom whenever I would let you, which would be all the time because I couldn’t say no to you, and to be fair it is a pretty fantastic model. Finally I worked up all my Gryffindor courage just before we sat our last exam, and asked you to go out with me proper. And you said yes, of course,” he clarified.

Lily was once again left speechless. It all just sounded… perfect. She could almost believe that it had actually happened, he said it with such care and tenderness. She could see them on their first date, butterbeer in hand, cracking jokes with each other like they’d been doing for the past few minutes. Maybe his hand would have edged towards hers on the table. Maybe she would have taken it.

“Sorry, that was probably too much backstory, we should simplify,” James misinterpreted her silence, furrowing his brow.

“No, no, that was… amazing, really believable,” Lily replied, shaking herself back into reality. She cleared her throat awkwardly. “We should definitely go with that.”

“You sure? You seemed a bit… unenthusiastic,” said James, hand ruffling his hair.

“No, really, I was just processing it, that’s all. You’ve got a great imagination,” she said.

“Just had a lot of time to think about it, that’s all.” A note of sadness tinged his voice and he couldn’t quite meet her eye. Lily pretended she didn’t understand what he was referring to.

“Did I really leave you out on my doorstep that long?” she joked. James thankfully took the bait, a small smile returning to his face.

“Sounds about right. You’re a rubbish owl owner, I was hooting at you for ages,” he admonished.

“Well Scarlett always comes to my bedroom window, not the front door! And how do you make that noise, anyway?” Lily asked.

“It’s easy, you just put your hands together like this-” his hands closed around each other “and blow into it.” He put his mouth to his thumbs, and a low hoot came out. Lily tried to copy him, but all she heard was air rushing through her fingers. She tried again and again, not getting anywhere close.

“Just takes a bit of practise, you’ll get there,” he encouraged, laughing as her face got increasingly red from her efforts.

Lily gave up with a frustrated sigh, getting up from the swing.

“I’ll get it some other time. Shall we head back?”

“You- you want me to meet your family right now?” James questioned nervously.

“Wasn’t that the whole idea of you coming over this early? Getting cold feet already, are you?” Lily teased.

“I think you’re the one with cold feet here, Miss Lily ‘I don’t need shoes’ Evans,” James answered, leaping off his swing. “Here, these things are great, wish I’d had one when I was younger.”

“I used to come here all the time before I came to Hogwarts,” said Lily. “I would jump off right at the top, and…” She paused, her face growing sad. James looked at her curiously.

“What happened?” he asked.

“Nothing, it was just… here, when I jumped off the swing, that was when I met Snape,” Lily eventually finished.

“Ah,” said James awkwardly.

Lily was grateful when he didn’t say more. She didn’t like discussing her old friend at the best of times, and discussing him with the boy who was his worst enemy was even less appealing. They set off back down the street in silence, watching people starting to rush to work. Lily couldn’t believe it was still so early, she felt like she’d spent a whole day with James already.

“So, before I meet them, what should your fake boyfriend know about your family?” James asked, breaking their silence.

“Well, my sister’s called Petunia, and she’s marrying a man called Vernon Dursley,” Lily began.

“That’s a… distinguished name,” James said tactfully.

“I don’t like him much, you don’t need to pretend,” she said.

“He sounds like a git,” James replied.

“He is a git. But they’re happy, at least. They’re getting married in December,” Lily continued. “That’s why Petunia’s home at the minute, she’s planning the wedding with my mum.”

“And hopefully after Saturday, you as well?”

“That’s the plan,” said Lily grimly.

“What’s your mum’s name? Do I need to win her over as well?” he smirked down at Lily, who glared back.

“No flirting with my mum, Potter,” she growled.

“I’m here to flirt with you, Evans, don’t worry,” he said, winking at her. “Joking, joking!” he added when she glared at him.

“Thin ice, Pot- James,” said Lily.

“Alright last question, will your dad be interrogating me at any point about my intentions toward his daughter?” said James.

Lily tried her best to keep her features neutral. “He’s… he died when we were in fourth year.”

James looked intensely uncomfortable, dropping the cocky attitude. “Merlin, Lily, I’m sorry, I didn’t-”

“It’s fine, don’t worry, you didn’t know,” she said abruptly. “Shall we do this then? Feeling prepared?” They had reached her front door once more, and she looked up at him. She didn’t trust him not to do something absurd, nor did she feel anywhere near prepared enough, but it was now or never.

He smiled back at her. “You know me, I’m ready for anything. Now, can I hold your hand, fake girlfriend?” He offered her his hand, looking steady and confident. After a split-second’s hesitation, she took it.

“I suppose so, fake boyfriend,” she sighed. He intertwined their fingers, making it look as natural as if they did this every day.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door, and led James into her house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, my tumblr is les-mis-still-makes-me-cry for anyone wanting to read chapters for me and feedback before posting! I love writing dialogue for this pair <3 hope you enjoyed!  
> \--  
> Hi all, it may be a delay until the next chapter. I can't write. I feel very strongly that now is the time to look at the real world and its issues, not escape to an easier one. Black lives matter and we must work for a world where they are respected and treated equally to white lives. We must protest and petition and donate to work for an end to institutional racial discrimination and brutality within the police, not only in the US but in the UK where I live, and in countries across the world where police enforce the racism of the ruling agenda. Donate what you can. Listen to black voices and experiences, and if you're white then humble yourself and accept that it's a privilege to walk past police and not fear for your life. #blacklivesmatter.


	4. Chapter 4

# Chapter 4

As soon as she walked in and heard her mum bustling around the kitchen, Lily was certain that she’d made a huge mistake. There was absolutely no way anyone in their right minds would buy the idea that she and James were an item. How many arguments had they had? How many jinxes and hexes? A relationship was so completely beyond the realm of reality. This was never going to work.

Lily would have walked right back out the door if it weren’t for James’ hand holding hers, keeping her from running away. He kept her steady, looking confident as ever although she could feel his hands getting a little clammy. Ah, the great James Potter does get nervous, she thought with smug satisfaction. Good.

She led him forward, into their small kitchen. Lily’s mum stood at the hob with her back turned, so she didn’t notice their entrance at first. Lily watched James’ eyes take in the room, from the small dining table to the dripping tap to the hob where her mum heated up a pan. Had he ever been in a Muggle kitchen before? Was he shocked by how… basic it was compared to wizarding kitchens, where dishes practically prepared themselves? Judging by his fascination with the street outside she didn’t imagine he would be particularly snobbish, but she still decided to quickly get things started to distract him.

Lily’s mum still faced the stove, humming along to the radio as she flipped bacon in time. Clearly Lily was going to have to get her mother’s attention. She coughed emphatically, causing her mum to jump slightly.

“Oh, hi love, are you wanting any breakfast?” her mum asked absentmindedly, still facing away.

“Em, mum, I’ve actually… brought someone to meet you,” said Lily, blushing furiously. James’ fingers squeezed hers and have gave her a sly grin. No going back now.

Lily’s mum whirled around, eyes going wide as she took in the tall, messy-haired boy taking up half her kitchen with his long, gangly limbs. She almost imperceptibly looked him over quickly, eyes drawn to their still-joined hands, before remembering her manners.

“You must be the boyfriend! Oh my goodness Lily you should have given me some warning, I’m still in my pyjamas!” her mum babbled. She rushed forward to shake James’ hand enthusiastically with both of her own. “But it’s wonderful to meet you- I’m so sorry, what was your name again?”

“James Potter, it’s wonderful to meet you too, Mrs Evans,” James replied with a smile, warmly taking her hand. Lily resisted the urge to elbow him in the ribs seeing the twinkle in his eye as Lily’s mum smiled back just as warmly. Charming git.

“Oh please, call me Eleanor,” she replied, finally releasing his hand. “Did you say Potter? I remember Lily always used to write about a Potter, didn’t you sweetheart?”

James’ face lit up as he turned back to Lily with mischief in his hazel eyes. “You used to write home about me?”

Lily stopped resisting her urge and elbowed James in the ribs, dropping his hand. “To tell her what a prat you were, always asking me out in ridiculous ways.”

He laughed, pretending to look sober for a second. “It’s true, I was a real idiot in my younger years. I’m grateful your daughter ever looked at me again after that,” he added to Lily’s mum, who was looking from one to the other with a beaming smile.

“Ah, Lily was never one to hold grudges. And clearly you must have done something right since you’re here now together,” she said happily.

“Yes, I’m always happy to take on charity cases,” said Lily drily. Lily’s mum laughed, and turned back to the bacon. James took the opportunity to mouth to her be nice, girlfriend. She made a face and mouthed back shut up. He swooped in and put his arm around her shoulders, which she immediately shrugged off. He grinned, still clearly enjoying himself.

She pointed wordlessly at the table, and took a seat, James following closely behind.

“Can I get you any breakfast James? You must be hungry if you had to travel far to get here,” chirped Lily’s mum.

“Oh, I didn’t have far to travel at all. I mean I suppose it was far, but I just apparated here so it barely took a second,” said James.

Lily’s eyes widened. “You didn’t just apparate on my doorstep? What if someone had seen you?” she said, alarmed. Even though they had both passed their Apparition Tests this year, Lily was still afraid to use it under normal circumstances. It was all too easy to be spotted and risk being cautioned under the Statute of Secrecy, despite now being of age. People popping into existence out of nowhere were hard to explain away, especially in small Muggle towns.

“No, no, Remus mentioned there was a little alley between your street and the next that was pretty inconspicuous, then I walked over. Bought myself some Muggle clothes as well, to fit in,” James said, a touch of pride in his voice.

“Oh, I would never have known those were just bought today,” Lily’s mum said with surprise. “You look right at home in them.” Clearly her mum had nothing but praise for her new boyfriend, thought Lily. Not boyfriend, fake boyfriend. She was already struggling to keep track. Lily attempted to change the subject, to avoid further fawning from her mum.

“Do you know if Petunia is awake yet? I really wanted to James to meet her, too,” said Lily abruptly. To get him out of the house sooner, she mentally added.

“Oh you know your sister, she’s never been an early bird,” said Lily’s mum. “She doesn’t still have to wake up at the crack of dawn for school like you pair.”

“Even earlier for me, since I have Quidditch practise most mornings,” said James. Lily tried not to snort. Of course he brought up Quidditch within the first few minutes of conversation.

“Ooh really, are you on the house team?” asked Lily’s mum.

“Yeah, I play Chaser, they’re the ones who play with the Quaffle,” said James, being uncharacteristically humble. Since her mum was headed over to the table with bacon, Lily decided to play up the relationship. She grabbed James’ hand and pretended to simper over him.

“He’s just being modest, he’s been the Captain since fourth year and they’ve won every season so far. He’s amazing,” Lily gushed. James smothered a smirk at her sudden change in attitude. She felt like a total prat, but her mum seemed to find it adorable.

“That’s wonderful! You must talk to Vernon. He loves sports too, I’m sure you’ll get on like a house on fire,” said Lily’s mum.

“Mum, watching golf isn’t the same as actually playing the sport,” sighed Lily.

“What’s golf?” asked James curiously.

“It’s a Muggle sport where you use clubs to hit small white balls into holes in the ground, and you’re trying to do it in as few shots as possible,” Lily explained patiently.

“So, you’re trying to avoid playing as much as you can?” James looked unconvinced at golf’s merits.

“Vernon’s probably better at explaining it than Lily, she’s always been more of a bookworm anyway,” Lily’s mum said quickly.

“Don’t I know it, always top of the class,” he grinned at Lily, squeezing her fingers. Lily looked down in surprise at their intertwined fingers. She had almost forgotten they were still holding hands. It reminded her of his backstory he had created while they sat outside. She knew Potter had a talent for creative lies after six years of alibis for pranks, but to create something so sweet and heartfelt was… unexpected, to say the least. Lily’s train of thought ran away from her entirely as she mused on this new Potter. Lily’s mum and James continued to chat around her, but Lily stayed quiet, eating her food without breaking the connection between their hands.

His hand did feel nice in hers, she noted. His were bigger, tanned, calloused from Quidditch, hers smaller and still ink stained from her letter to James last night. She saw marks and scars all over his hand, doubtless from all the nonsense he and his mates had got up to over the years. She felt the muscles in his hand flex as he moved, always present but never moving enough to move it away from hers. His thumb lightly stroked the side of her hand, almost unconsciously. It tickled but Lily couldn’t bring herself to stop him.

“That’s very kind of you, Eleanor, but I wouldn’t want to impose.”

“Nonsense, it’ll be no trouble! I would love to get to know you better, and I’m sure Petunia will too.”

“If you’re sure, then I’d be delighted. I would just have to apparate back home and pack a few things.”

Lily snapped out of her trance and looked up at James’ last sentence.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” she asked in confusion.

Her mum tutted. “Daydreaming, as always. James was just saying he’ll need to go home for his things for the next few days.”

“Why does he need his things?” said Lily stupidly.

“If you had been listening to us,” Lily’s mum said exasperatedly, “You would have heard me invite James to stay with us until the dinner on Saturday.”

Time seemed to slow down for Lily as alarm bells started ringing in her head. Potter? Stay at her house for the best part of a week? She had to be joking, right? It was absolutely not happening, that was final. She would quite literally go insane with his joking and flirting constantly for 4 more days without a break.

And yet she couldn’t say no, at least not directly, she realised with frustration. What kind of girlfriend doesn’t want her boyfriend around after not seeing him for weeks? Especially when said girlfriend is trying to use him to get into her sister’s good books. Lily’s brain whizzed, weighing up her options, hoping her mother didn’t notice her hesitance. She knew James already had, by his thumb ceasing its little circles on her hand.

“But… where will he sleep?” said Lily. It wasn’t much of a defence and she knew it, but anything else would sound too suspicious.

“Well, I thought you and Petunia could share her room, in the spirit of sisterly bonding,” Lily’s mum said brightly.

“You have got to be joking.” Lily dropped James’ hand entirely to cross her arms and glare at her mother. “I’m absolutely not sharing a room with Tuney. And she’ll say the same.”

“And I’ll say that it’s either that or you sleep in the bath, and not to be so rude in front of our guest,” Lily’s mum said, as sharply as the softly spoken woman could manage. Her eyes met Lily’s and she knew that she had no chance. When her mother had made up her mind, her word was law.

James looked between them, panic on his face at causing this domestic strife. “I don’t have to stay, really, I don’t want to-”

“It’s really no trouble at all, James, like I said,” Lily’s mum said lightly, finally breaking eye contact with her daughter. “Isn’t that right, Lily?”

Lily and James turned to each other, his eyes looking for guidance, hers expressing nothing at all. When she spoke, her voice seemed to hold nothing of her anger just a few seconds before.

“I’d love to have you stay, James. Please, don’t worry about me,” she said calmly. She took his hand gently. He smiled back, just a hint of reservation in his eyes.

“As long as you’re happy, Lily,” said James.

“I am,” said Lily, as convincingly as she could muster.

“Great!” Lily’s mother broke the silence. “I’ll sort out these dishes then, you say goodbye to James as he goes to fetch his things, Lily. I’ll see you later, James!”

“Thank you so much for breakfast, Eleanor, it was really great,” James replied, getting up from the table. Lily didn’t say anything as she led James out of the room.

“Lily, are you-” he murmured, stopping when he saw her face. Lily just shook her head, leading him back out the front door. Only when it was safely shut behind them did she speak.

“What exactly do you think you’re playing at, Potter,” she said, her face calm but her voice filled with venom.

“Doing what you wanted!” James exclaimed. They started storming down the road together, keeping well apart.

“Since when did I want you to stay for the whole bloody week?” Lily snapped.

“Since your mum suggested it? To make this whole thing realistic?” James replied equally viciously.

“You could have said no! God, now I have to spend 4 days sharing a room with Petunia, you’ve ruined everything!”

“Why in Merlin’s name are you upset about this? You wanted me to have time to bond with your sister, and you wanted to get closer to her! You should be thanking me!”

“Thanking-” Lily couldn’t get the words out, she was so angry. “I can’t think of anything worse!”

James ran a hand through his hair roughly, other hand balled into a fist. “Then why the hell am I here trying to help you with a sister you don’t even like?”

“Because- because that’s what sisters are meant to do!” shouted Lily.

“Then why are you pissed off at me? You’re making no sense, Lily,” he retorted.

The pair reached the alley near Lily’s house where the bins kept any apparition away from Muggle eyes. Lily struggled to form an answer to James, the blood rushing through her head too loudly for her to think clearly.

“Because… this wasn’t the plan, James, it was just meant to be the one night,” she said, sounding exhausted.

“Well, plans change Lily, you’ve just got to roll with it,” James replied, lowering his voice to match hers.

She took a deep breath in and a long breath out her mouth. There was a very miniscule possibility, she realised, that she was overreacting. It was just for a few days, she lived with James 9 months of the year already. She and Petunia sharing a bedroom was bound to be unpleasant, but like James and her mother said, it might help reinforce the case for being a bridesmaid. And it would definitely give them enough time to convince Petunia that she and James were definitely an item.

She ran that list over in her head as she looked up at James again. He didn’t look angry anymore, just exasperated at her. She couldn’t really blame him, she’d been the one begging him to come and all she did was snap at him. They’d had two arguments and it wasn’t even lunchtime yet.

“Sorry,” she said quietly.

He raised his eyebrows. “Really?”

“What, is that not enough?” she said, her voice escalating again.

“No, no,” he assured, “It’s just that I’ve never… well I don’t think you’ve ever been the first one to apologise before.”

Lily frowned “Because it’s normally you being a git.”

“True, mostly, but you can be a bit of an arse as well, Lily,” James said placidly.

She opened her mouth to defend herself, but dozens of scenarios popped into her head to shut her up. Somehow she had convinced herself that it was always James instigating things, but she had always been just as quick with a snarky comment or a well-placed jinx. She always just considered herself to be in the right before. Before, she always had the voice of Snape on her side, telling her how great she was, how funny Potter had looked with his feet on backwards, how much of a git he was…

“Yeah, you’re right,” Lily agreed. James looked completely taken aback.

“Wait, I am?”

“A little bit, at least,” Lily said with a wry smile.

“Stop the presses! Lily Evans and James Potter have agreed on something!” Potter exclaimed to an imaginary audience, hands cupped around his mouth. Lily smacked his hands down, giggling.

“Calm down, you prat, it had to happen one of these days.”

“Nope, nothing you say will take this glorious moment away from me. If only I had a Pensieve to save this precious memory forever,” James sang tunelessly. He grabbed her hands and started twirling her around, narrowly avoiding the dustbins.

“I’ll obliviate you in a second if you don’t cut that out,” Lily grumbled, trying to fight off a smile.

He gave her one final spin under his arm and let go, still grinning from ear to ear.

“Your wish is my command, O wonderful girlfriend of mine.” He bowed to her pompously.

“FAKE girlfriend,” she reminded him.

“But of course,” he said, bowing even lower before rising back up to his full height.

“Now I suppose you should get back home and get some packing done,” said Lily.

James dropped the jester act for a minute and looked at her seriously. “Are you absolutely sure? I know I said I think it’s the best plan but if you’re genuinely not happy about it you can just say to your mum-”

“Shh, James, I’m sure. It’s the best way to convince Petunia,” Lily said. “And I haven’t killed you yet so I guess I can make it a few more days.”

“Ah, is that a challenge?” he grinned.

“Absolutely not,” said Lily firmly.

“Too late,” said James. He grabbed her hand and bent to kiss it quickly. “Till later, lovely girlfriend of mine.”

“FAKE girlfriend!” Lily insisted, only to be met with a cheeky grin, before James took a step and spun around, apparating away with a loud CRACK. Lily looked around, making sure no one had caught sight, before sighing once more.

What on earth was she going to do with that boy? Lily didn’t know if she could take another 4 days of this rollercoaster of emotions. But then, things between her and James had never been smooth. There had always been something about him that got her attention, for better or for worse…

She shook her head, ignoring the way her hand was tingling where his lips had pressed against it. Definitely for worse, she mentally corrected. Four days and she was free, and she and Potter could have another year free of interaction. It was all for the best. Gryffindor tower had never known peace when they were arguing every few days, they couldn’t inflict that upon their long-suffering housemates again.

Although a couple of them seemed to find their interactions amusing, Remus for one. Lily knew he would be desperate for news of the fake boyfriend business, especially after Potter’s request for her address. She turned and began to walk out of the alley, already writing the letter in her head.

Just as she skirted around a bin bag that looked about ready to burst at the seams, she started suddenly, hearing a loud noise echo from all the way down the street.

“SHE’S WHAT?” the voice screeched.

Lily grimaced and prepared for battle. It seemed Petunia was awake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this chapter so long ago that editing it was like reading someone else's work and may I just say, I am fantastic (I'm kind of joking but also kind of not, I really enjoyed this one). Next chapter is bringing back sisterly discord, one of my least favourite things to write since I have my own sister to argue with in real life. However I'll do my best to get it done and edited sooner than I updated this one! Thanks for the patience, and I'll see you all on the other side!


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